Improvement in refrigerating-cars



C-LAUDIUS L. HOAG 8; ELLSWORTH ELY.

Improvement in Refrigerating Cars. No..-H9, 847.

Patented Oct. 10,1871.

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ITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

OLAUDIUS L. HOAG AND ELLSWORTH ELY, OF LOOKPORT, NEW YORK.

, IMPROVEMENT IN REFRlGERATING-CARS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 119,847, dated October 10, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OLAUDIUS L. HOAG' and ELLsWORTH ELY, both of Lockport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented an Improved Refrigerator-Oar and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing. forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1. is a longitudinal vertical section; Fig. 2, a horizontal section; and Fig.3, a vertical cross-section.

Similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawing.

This invention relates to that class of cars which is specially adapted to the preservation and safe transportation of meats, fruits, fish, and other articles of food, by means of refrigerating compartments and apparatus for creating and maintaining currents of cool dry air; and our invention consists in the improved construction and arrangement of the cars for such purpose, substantially as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawing, A represents the chamber in which the articles of food, 850., are kept, and which may be subdivided into as many compartments as may be wanted for any particular line of trade. B represents the refrigerating-chamber, which contains the ice-receptacle 0 arranged at the end of the car 5 and D is a smaller compartment in the corner of the car at the end of the chamber B for purposes which will be hereinafter referred to, said compartment having a door by which it may be entered from outside of the car, and also having a window or windows, through which a person standing within it can see into the chambers A B. The ice-chest G is made slightly flaring, as shown in Fig. 1, in order that the ice, as it melts away and settles down, ,may not recede from, but always remain in contact with its walls. It is, of course, pro vided with a drip-tube, 0, having an air-trap at its lower end, and also with a turned-up flange, t, for the purpose of receiving the water of condensation deposited 011 the walls of the chest and conveying it off to the tube 0 by means of small ducts r. The refrigerating-chamber and the compartment D occupy but a small space at the end of the car, the rest of the vehicle being reserved for the keeping-chamber A. Around the chambers A B D is an air-space, E, communicating with the chamber B by means of valves 0 e, and with the outside air by means of other valves 0 0, arranged as shown in Fig. 1. Outside of the air-space E the car is packed at the sides, ends, top, and bottom with paper, felt, or other nonconductor of heat, as shown by the heavy black lines of the drawing. Above the packing at the top of the car is arranged the arched roof F, provided with a ventilator f. The air enters the space G between the roof and the top of the compartment A, and passes from the forward end of the car to the ventilator, where a portion of it escapes, the remainder continuing on its passage and escaping at the rear end. The draught in this direction is induced both by the heat of the suns rays upon the roof and also by the movement of the car; and to facilitate the action of the suns rays in this respect the roof F may be made of sheetiron painted black. The walls of the compartment A and the inner walls of the chambers B D may also be constructed of sheet metal, if preferred. Valves a a are arranged at the top and bottom of the partition H, which separates the chambers B D from the chamber A. The doors of the car are shown at I, and may be packed, in any suitable manner, the same as the walls of the car. The air in the chamber A being liable sometimes to become overladen with moisture provision is made by which it will in such case be automatically discharged and its place supplied with pure dry air. This is accomplished by means of a couple of register-slides, o o, attached to a pivoted bar, t, which is provided with an arm, 13, weighted at w, and having an absorbing-sponge or vessel at s.

The operation of this device being fully described in an application for Letters Patent on preserving-houses, filed contemporaneously herewith, we do -not deem it necessary to give any further description of it nor statement of its advantages here.

The operation of the car is as follows: The vessel 0 having been supplied with ice, the valves 0 0 being open and 0 0 closed, the cooling of the air around the ice-chest precipitates it to the floor and causes it to flow out at the opening 0 and pass forward under the floor, then up at the opposite end, and back over the chamber A to the valve 6, where it again enters the chamber B and commences another circuit. Some of the air thus circulating may from time to time escape from under the floor and pass up at the sides of the ear, again mingling with the return current at the top of the chamber A; but this rather facilitates the perfect working of the apparatus than otherwise, and accordingly we make provision for it by boring a series of holes through the edge of the floor at the bottom and top of the side spaces E. The main current, however, passes along to the other end of the car. The cooling effect of the ice-chamber at one end of the car in inducing this current is assisted by the warming effect of the suns rays at the other end and at the sides. The latter influence alone would be sufficient to establish a circulation; but the two combined produce quite an ac tive current. The current can, of course, be held under perfect control by adjusting the dampers e e, as may be desired. The same air is thus caused to flow round and round the car continuously as long as may be desirable, thereby effecting a great reduction in the waste of ice over those cars where the current receives constant accessions of fresh warm air from without. In the same manner a continuous circulation throughout the chamber or ch ambersAis kept up through the operation of the chilled partition H, which. causes the air in contact with it to fall and move off toward the other end of the room, its place being, of course, supplied by warmer air from other portions of the compartment. Whenever the air in this chamber becomes laden with moisture the valves v automatically open and let it out, a current of fresh dry air taking its place. Should the whole body of the air within the car need changing the attendant can open the valves 0 0, in which case the air from beneath the car will flow in, commingle with the current under the floor, and pass along and up over the chamher A, and then to the chamber B, as above described, a portion of the whole united current, of coiu'se, escaping at the valve 0 until an entire volume of fresh air is substituted. The dampers 0 0 are designed to be adjusted by the attendant in the little chamber D, and both are preferably connected to one rod, so that they will open and close simultaneously and equally by a single movement of the knob visible in said chamber. The air may be introduced from the valve 0 into a tube, instead of allowing it to mingle at once with the currents under the floor. In such case the tube will extend from the valve 0 under the floor to the other end of the car, then up back over the chamber A, and down through or near the valve 0 into the chamber B. By keeping open the valves 0 0 it is evident a current of fresh air may be kept circulating in the space E instead of using the same air over and over. All the dampers in the car are to be operated from the apartment D, suitable rods, cords, or other connections being provided for that purpose. Thermometers and other apparatus for indicating the condition of the air within the chamber A may be attached to the wall H near the window above referred to, so that the attendant can observe the indications through the glass without entering the chamber.

The apparatus herein described in all its de tails can be applied to any freight or baggagecar without ch an ge in th eir ordinary construction and, in fact, an old car can readily be fitted up with it. ln applying it to such cars, cleats about two inches in width are first nailed to the sides of the floor-timbers under the floor, and boards are fitted between said timbers and nailed upon the cleats so as to leave the air-spaces E between them (the boards) and the floor. This leaves a space below the boards about four inches deep, which is carefully packed and then boarded up by means of strips fastened to the under side of the joists. Inside of the car the spaces between the braces or joists of the frame are carefully packed and boarded up, and the spaces between the joists at the top of the car are similarly filled. Slats cut from board, an inch or thereabout in thickness, are then nailed to the walls and ceiling for the purpose of supporting the partition that forms the walls and roof of the chambers A B D. The air circulates aroimd between the slats, and if at any point they or any timber of the frame cross the path of the currents, a perforation is made with an anger for the purpose of allowing them to pass. The car can thus be constructed at a very little expense. Of COlllSG a series of metallic pipes may be substituted for any of the air-passages herein described, if preferred.

Having described our invention, what we claim l. A vehicle provided with the preservingchamber A, the refrigerating-chamber B, and the observing-compartment D, combined with the airpassagc E extending over their top, sides, and bottom, substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

2. In a railroad car, the air-passage G and ventilator f, in combination with the air-passage E, substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

3. A railroad car or other vehicle, packed as herein described, and provided with the chambersA B,the air-passage E all around them, and the valves 0 c, 0 0, and v c, all constructed, arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

OLAUDIUS L. HOAG. ELLSWORTH ELY.

Witnesses:

N. K. ELLSWORTH, O. F. BROWN. (121) 

